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>The applicant is placed in a room with some source documents and
>computer equipment. He or she receives five to six hours to produce up
>to five pages of a user's guide.

I can't think of any companies I've interviewed with where I would have
been willing to throw away "five to six hours" of time satisfying them
that I can do what my resume, references, and writing samples said I can
do.

*If* I'm so excited by the company that I'm willing to spend five to six
hours on them, that time will be better spent talking to the people I'd
be working for and with to make sure there's a good match, and to get my
questions about the company's philosophy and product lines answered.

A company giving a five hour writing test will only get the newest
recruits out there, which is fine if that's who they want to hire. If
they're looking for anybody more experienced, they'll be hiring for a
long, long time.